Untold Legend
by ana-domovoi
Summary: It's believed that to break the Sohma curse there must be love between the Cat and a member outside the family, but is there more to it than that? Better than it sounds...I think... Kyo x Tohru
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fanfiction! Yay! -scattered applause- I'll admit I'm more than a little apprehensive about it, but don't tell anyone, okay? It's a secret. Anyway, I'm sorry it's so short, but it's more like a prologue than an actual chapter, so...yeah. Please read and review...and don't forget to review.

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba (Fruits Basket.)

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_A rumor has been passed down throughout the generations by those of the Sohma family inflicted with the Zodiac curse. It tells of the possibility of the curse somehow being broken, and that such an occurrence lies only in an outsider loving the one possessed by the Spirit of the Cat, and he loving her in return._

_However, stories, unknown to all but two of the Juunishi of today, hint that there is more to breaking the curse than true love._

_These tales speak of a sacrifice. One so terrible, that it has been locked away. In the hopes of exterminating the prospect of the Zodiac animals ever being free of their bondage, the "Gods" of the prosperous family line have hidden the completed story of the attempts of past generations away from the prying eyes of those who would seek it out and force it into action._

_This is the untold Legend of the Zodiac._


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, everybody! First off, I would like to thank loveandpeace522, softballnut1400, furubafan77, kingleby, and Kaylenne for reviewing my first chapter. Out of72 hits, they're the only five who did, so they get special recognition! Kudos! Also, I would like to thank everyone who read my story, and plead with you guys to review. I really value your opinion!

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba.

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_"Once, a long time ago, God prepared a great feast. He invited all the animals to come and dine with Him. "And don't be late," He said. When the Rat heard about the banquet, he decided to play a trick on his neighbor, the Cat. He told the Cat that the banquet was the day after tomorrow, instead of tomorrow. The next day, all the animals walked to the party, laughing and being merry, and the Rat rode on the head of the Ox all the way there! Everyone had a wonderful time. All except the Cat, who was sleeping at home, dreaming of a banquet that would never come."_

_Kyoko smiled sadly as she finished her story. She looked at her daughter. "Hey, why are you crying?"_

_Her daughter sat in front of her, eyes wide, clenching her tiny little fists. Tears were running down her checks. "But Mom! What about the poor Cat? Everyone got to go to the feast except him!" She hiccuped a few times, then rose unexpectedly and looked at the ceiling with a child's determination. "I know! I won't just be a Dog anymore; I'll be a Cat, too!"_

_Tohru starred in wonder as she watched her mother laugh and cuddle the crying little girl she recognized as herself. As she continued to watch, the scene changed. It was a windy day. Little Tohru was outside, sitting on a park bench. Tohru watched as a girl about that size and age came over and sat down next to her, her abdomen-length black hair rippling slightly in the wind. 'Wow,' Tohru thought. 'What a pretty little girl. Such lovely green eyes. She looks almost like Akito-san.'_

_The black-haired girl spoke to the Little Tohru. "Hi, Tohru." Her voice was soft and musical. "A friend of mine is coming to the park today. He'll be here soon. Would you like to play with us?"_

_Little Tohru nodded. "Sure! I'd love to!" she said excitedly, her head bobbing up and down._

_The girl smiled, then looked up suddenly. Tohru gasped. Coming toward the girls was Kazuma-san, and halfway hidden behind his right leg, clinging to his kimono, was a little boy with orange hair. Tohru starred in awe as the girl and Little Tohru coaxed the boy over to the near-empty playing structure. The three children started a game of tag, while the martial arts instructor and Tohru's mother sat down and began to talk._

_Tohru was dumbfounded. 'Kazuma-san, and Kyo-kun! Did I know them? Is…is this even real?' She continued to observe the events unfolding. Kyo-kun, in his protective manner, kept a relatively safe distance from the girls, but gradually became more involved in the game as time progressed. The girl tagged Little Tohru, who then began to chase Kyo-kun. He jumped out of the way and, much to Tohru and the girls delight, smiled and laughed. Tohru's face broke out in a huge grin. 'Oh, he's so cute!' she squealed. She heard her mother's voice break through the noise, ghostly and ringing. 'Ah, what a sweet smile Kyo-kun has!_

_"Yes," Kazuma-san replied. "Although glimpses of it are very few. He's quite protective of himself."_

_Kyoko smiled. "Hmm. Then we'll just have to change that, won't we? He needs to smile more." Kyoko laughed, rose from the bench, and joined in the game. Little Tohru shrieked at the sight of her mother coming to tag her, and the three children scattered into different areas of the play structure._

_The ghostly scene slowly shifted out of Tohru's focus until there was nothing left but black._


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, everyone. It is I. -duh- Sorry. Quickly I would like to address a review written by randomangel concerning the events of Chapter Two. As, I realize, my writing skills have only slightly developed to their possible potential (like many aspiring writers!), it is quite likely that I confused some of you with my description of the sequence of events. So, if you will allow me to explain briefly: The first three chapters following the prologue are a dream sequence. Three different Furuba characters, each essential to the plot of this story, are having dreams at the same point in time. Tohru's dream was a memory from her childhood that was erased when she was still a girl, and this particular memory has now resurfaced itself due to upcoming events. And you know what? That's all I'm gonna tell you for now! HA! Just kidding. Anyway, please read and enjoy, as always. And review! I like getting the reviews; reading them makes me happy. I'm glad so many of you like (or at least read) my story!

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba.

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_A small girl, about the age of seven, slowly came towards Kyo. She had a china-doll face, with her thick, silky, abdomen-length black hair curled into tiny cockles and pined behind her head. Her solemn, vivid green eyes seemed to penetrate his own. Tiny ripples appeared where her bare feet touched the glassy water, and the pure-white satin kimono she wore reached so low that all you could see of her feet were her toes when she stepped forward. Her hair was parted a little off-center and she had no bangs. Kyo could clearly make out the Japanese symbol cut into her forehead: "Savior." As his eyes gazed upon the mark, his head was split in two with a fierce throbbing. Clasping his head, his knees hit the water-like surface beneath them both. Images flashed through his mind. There was the girl, sitting at a what he presumed to be the table reserved for the Zodiac Banquet every New Year. She was settled on a nine-year-old Akito's right side, looking sad and forlorn, and the mark he had seen on her forehead before was not there. As he watched, Akito turned to the girl with a smile on his face. He spoke to her for a moment. She lifted her head and looked up at him, then said a few words. Akito's face turned a brilliant shade of crimson and he jumped to his feet, shouting at her. _

_Kyo starred on as the picture changed. Now she and Akito were alone in a shadowy room. The girl sat in the middle of the floor, while Akito paced in front of her, yelling. Every time she began to cry, he delivered a stinging blow with the back of his hand, as he had done to Kyo when they had met at the summer home. After what seemed like an eternity of this, Akito left the room, returning moments later with what appeared to be a kitchen knife. He shoved her to the floor and loomed over her, knife poised._

_Another image appeared. Kyo was looking at the outside of the door to the room where he had just been. He glanced around. All of the Juunishi were there, starring, waiting for something to emerge. Yuki was wide-eyed, Kagura had her hands over her mouth, looking fearful, and even calm Hatori was fidgeting._

_Akito flung the door open and glided off to his room, looking satisfied. When the door to his room was closed, everyone's head moved back to stare at the open door._

_The girl limped slowly out the doorway, then collapsed a few steps from Hatori. In a moment he was on the floor beside her. He checked her pulse, nodded, and turned her over. She was battered, bruises and cuts coating her face and arms. On her forehead, the symbol was carved, blood running from the wound, leaving dark red streaks on her face. "Savior."_

_Kyo's surroundings flashed a bright white, and, blinking a few times, he realized that he was back in the black place with the glassy, water-like floor. His head no longer hurt. He looked up and saw the girl standing before him. Slowly, she reached out a small hand and lightly touched his arm with perfectly tapered fingers. "Kyo," she said, her voice ghostly and distant. "May I play with you?" He starred at her as she slowly began to fade out, along with the surface beneath them, until nothing was left but black and he couldn't even see himself. Her voice broke through the dark silence, still ghostly and distant: "I just don't see why Kyo can't be here."_


	4. Chapter 4

Omigod, I'm so sorry. I was just going through and I realized that I had totally posted Chapter Four wrong! Geez. I feel retarded now. Anyway, sorry for the mix-up, but how come none of you told me it was funky-looking? Normally, I always fix the copy of the document that's on the site and put the disclaimer in before I post it. I guess something went hay-wire. Oh, well, it's fixed now (I think.) I just want to thank everyone who didn't report me!

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba.

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_"Hari-nii." Hatori looked down to see a seven-year-old girl pulling gently on his sleeve. "Hari-nii, will you play with me?"_

_Hatori smiled and shook his head. "Sorry, Shana-san. You're brother is sick again. I have to take care of him."_

_"Oh." The little girl lowered her gaze to the floor, looking thoughtful. She looked up again after a moment. "Hari-nii, will Akito-sama be all right? I worry about him."_

_The tall doctor lowered himself to the girl's level and looked her in the eye. "He'll be fine, Shana. We just need to take special care of him, that's all."_

_Shana gave a small smile and nodded to show she understood._

_Hatori rose to his feet. "All right, why don't you go out and play, then? I have to leave soon, and I know Kagura was looking for you earlier."_

_The girl's face brightened. "Kagura-chan?" She turned and began to exit the spotless doctor's office, but stopped at the open door and swiveled back around to face him. "Hey, Hari-nii, you want to know something?"_

_The doctor smiled. "Sure, what?"_

"_You're new assistant, Kana-san? She really likes you."_

_Hatori blushed, his face turned a deep hue of red. After a moment, Shana doubled over laughing. "H-Hari-nii," she choked in between gasps of breath, "you look like a tomato!"_

_Flustered, Hatori bent over his desk and began to organize his papers. "How do you know that?"_

_A mischievous smile spread across the girl's face. "'Cause she told me," she informed him before wandering off in search of Kagura-chan. Hatori watched the girl leave. Sometimes it scared him how much she knew, or how much she could find out. She was very intuitive and perceived things remarkably well, for a mere girl of seven years. Shaking his head, he gathered the contents of his briefcase and left to give Akito-san his check-up._

_As he stepped out into the hallway, his surroundings suddenly disappeared. What replaced them was a white hospital room. Hatori saw himself sitting at the bedside of a ten-year-old Shana, checking her pulse and feeling her forehead. He looked into her throat and eyes and rose from his chair. It seemed obvious the two were oblivious of Hatori's presence._

_Shana looked up at Hatori. "So, Doc, what's the prognosis?"_

_Hatori smiled sadly. "The amount of internal damage you received is remarkably low, considering, but the bruises on your stomach are slightly discolored. I'll need to keep an eye on them, but otherwise, you faired pretty well."_

_She continued to look at him expectantly. "And the eye?"_

_The doctor chuckled softly. "It's a lovely shiner. I've never seen it's equal."_

"_What!" The girl was shocked. "Hari-nii, that was so unlike you! You sounded like me for a second there."_

"_You must be a bad influence on me."_

"_Haha, very funny. Your sense of humor overwhelms me," Shana replied skeptically as she crossed her arms and leaned against the headboard of the bed. Hatori laughed and turned to go when Shana spoke up again, this time in a more serious manner. "He banished me, you know. Akito-sama did."_

_He looked back at her but said nothing. Their eyes met. "It's okay, Hari-nii. You don't have to be worried."_

_The doctor nodded. He still couldn't speak. How could she fair by herself; the girl he saw as his little sister?_

"_You know me better than that, Hatori," Shana said quietly in response to the thought he hadn't voiced. Running her fingertips over the symbol carved into her forehead, she continued, "I'm going to find a way to break the curse, Hari-nii, I swear. And when I do, I'll be back."_


	5. Chapter 5

All right. Hi, everybody. Sorry about that whole thing right there. This will be the second time I've posted this chapter. -kicks self- Anyway, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, of course. I'm sorry it took so long to post this chapter. I had it all ready and everthing, but, you know, Easter... Anyway, I'd just like to clear up a few things quickly before you start reading. I have a lot of trouble writing long chapters (I'm not sure why), but with the way I have to basic plot of the story lined up, (not even including the details and twists and stuff), this story is going to be VERY long-term. Originally, I had estimated it to be about 20 chapters, which means it's probably going to be more around thirty-five, so ifyou get tired of it or I'm not explaining something, go ahead and digitally kick me in the form of a PM or a review or whatever.And for those of you who are wondering how exactly this is Kyo x Tohru, it grows into that as time goes on. I mean, if I hadn't laid any groundwork and had just gone straight into the story, you be REALLY confused and it wouldn't be half as interesting. Okay, I'm done. As always, read, enjoy, and reivew.

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba.

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Tohru's mind was startled into awakening and back into the present day by the sound of the phone ringing down the hall. Quickly she got out of bed, pulled on her pink bathrobe over her pajamas, and scurried down the hall. As she approached the telephone, she reached down to pick up the receiver, realizing all too late that a hand not her own was coming down towards it as well, and ran smack, full-front, into a yawning Kyo, turning him into his Zodiac form. 

The orange cat landed on his feet, hissing as his clothes rained down around him. "What the—oh, Tohru."

"Oh, Kyo-kun! I'm so sorry," she cried, picking up the receiver. "Hello?" she said, tucking the handset between her ear and shoulder as she bent down and began to gather up Kyo's scattered clothing. "Yeah, uh-huh. He's right here." She handed him the phone. "It's for you."

Kyo reached out his furry little paws and took the receiver from Tohru's out-stretched hand. "Hello?"

Tohru watched quietly as he listened intently for a moment. Suddenly, his eyebrows shot so high she could have sworn they would fall right off his face. "WHAT!" the cat cried in obvious disbelief. After a moment he nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming." Tohru heard the faint sound of the line going dead.

A bright flash of light coming from the general vicinity of Tohru's back made Tohru jump and Kyo fall over on his back, dropping the handset. He jumped to his feet, bristling, just in time to change back to human form. "What the hell was that!" he yelled as slightly orange smoke exploded around him.

Tohru shrieked and covered her eyes with her hands, turning her head away.

"Um, you know Tohru, you kind of need to give him his clothes," Shigure stated as he nonchalantly plucked a photograph from an instant-develop camera.

"Oh, right. Of course," she laughed hesitantly as she held out the arm Kyo's clothes were hung over.

Kyo took them and put them back on hastily. "So, Shigure-san," Tohru asked, looking up at him from the floor, "What do you have there?"

Automatically transferring to his ultra-dramatic mode, Shigure flourished the slowly developing photograph at Kyo, then handed it gently to Tohru. Tohru took it, looking intently at the picture, waiting for it to come into the realm of the seen. "Oh! It's so cute!" she cried, blushing softly.

Shigure beamed. "I knew you'd like it. A lovely momentum of the scene that just was!" Shigure continued his incessant rambling that no one paid attention to, as was the usual custom when he went into these random bouts of seeming stupidity.

Kyo, clothing now intact, crawled around to Tohru's side and peered at the picture. He blushed furiously. "SHIGURE! YOU DAMN DOG!" he bellowed. Kyo jumped to his feet and ran at the still-ranting Shigure, who became aware of his surroundings at that moment and promptly locked himself in his room.

"Haha, you can't get me!" Shigure's sing-song voice taunted, muffled though the door.

"Not like I'd want to, anyway." Kyo turned from the door and pulled Tohru to her feet. "Put that away and get dressed. We're gonna leave soon."

"Eh?" Tohru's delicate countenance was arranged into a quizzical look. "You're taking me with you? Where?"

"To a hotel, of course. Where else would he take a beautiful flower like yourself?" came Shigure's reply from behind the locked door.

Kyo reddened—again. "You know Shigure, it's a damn good thing you're behind that door, 'cause I'd really love to kick your ass around this room a couple dozen times."

"Now, now, Kyo-kun, my pet. Such disrespectful tones in the presence of a lady."

"Dammit Shigure!"

A flustered Tohru held the photograph close to her chest. "Oh, please don't fight," she pleaded, her brow furrowed slightly. She laid a hand on Kyo's arm. "I'll go get dressed, okay?"

Kyo looked down at her. He could feel his checks heating up. "Yeah, okay." He turned away and headed down the stairs.

Tohru smiled and looked down at the photo again. It depicted an orange cat, sitting on the floor on it's butt with it's two back legs sticking out in front of it. It's head was cocked, ears slightly perked, listening to the telephone receiver it held in it's two front paws. Her smile brightened and she giggled, then hurried down the hall back towards her room.

A little knock came from the inside of Shigure's door. After a moment, the door opened barely a crack and about one-third of a face peered out. "Helloooo," Shigure called softly. "Is anybody out there? Anyone at all?" With no response, Shigure opened the door and crept outside. Looking right and left and seeing no one, he gave a satisfactory nod and began walking down the hall, chuckling to himself. A sudden flash of orange hair, white tee-shirt, and blue jeans tackled the unsuspecting author from behind.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey, people, guess what? Chapter six is up. Did you notice? Haha. Anyway, thank you to everyone who reviewed, of course. I know the time between my updates is getting more and more drawn out, and I'm sorry for that. Recently I've reverted back to reading fanfiction more than writing it, and I've also been on the computer less. Oh, well. Whatever. I'll try to get the chapters up sooner from now on. As always, read and please review. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba.

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"Kyo-kun! Where are we going? And why are we rushing? I didn't even get to make Shigure-san breakfa—"

"Forget about it. He'll probably make himself some charcoal to eat…or order something." Kyo cut Tohru's sentence short as the two crossed the intersection and headed up the street towards Kazuma's dojo.

"Oh! Are we going to visit Kazuma-san? Will he be awake this early in the morning?"

Without stopping, they turned at the dojo and went on to the dwelling nearby, where Kazuma stayed. "Yeah, he'll be awake," Kyo replied, almost inaudibly.

Tohru starred at him intently, which was amazing, considering the pace they were walking at. It was small, but she seemed to sense anticipation coming from him.

Kyo stopped so suddenly Tohru almost ran into him again. Almost. She would have complete thonked right into his back had he not reached out a hand behind him to stop and steady her. She blushed as his fingertips gently brushed her collarbone, and he seemed to freeze as well. Kazuma opened the door for them and stood back to let them through.

Kyo glanced at his father's hands and saw a small cup of tea there. He sniffed the air. The smell of burning food was nowhere to be found. "She _is_ here," he breathed.

Still puzzled, Tohru followed Kyo as he rushed down the hall a few steps, then swerved a left and turned into the dining area. He stopped dead in the doorway. Tohru looked over his shoulder, stopping and starring in awe at what she saw. Kazuma stood a little bit behind her, smiling.

Placed on the table were four cups of tea, hot and steaming. Sitting at the table was a beautiful girl about the age of Kyo and Tohru. She had thick, black hair about collarbone-length that perfectly framed her face and shoulders in soft waves. Her pale, unblemished skin bore no make-up at all. Dressed very modestly, she wore a black, v-neck shirt with three-quarter sleeves, jeans that showed none of her abdomen, and a dainty silver necklace chain. The small, thin charm hanging down from the necklace was the Japanese symbol for "Cat."

Her left hand rested on the table next to the closest cup of tea. Clinging to the fingers of her right hand was a small sparrow, who seemed quite content with it's perch, occasionally twittering and preening itself. Sitting in the girl's lap was a little brown-haired boy. The boy was completely enthralled by the fact that there was a bird sitting on the girl's hand and was obviously delighted by it. His face was radiant, almost like one of Tohru's 100-watt smiles.

The girl turned her head to the doorway and smiled warmly. "Well," she asked in a joking manner, her voice soft and musical, "do you want to come in and sit down, or are you just going to stand there all day?"

Tohru gasped. _What pretty green eyes,_ she thought. _Why, she looks like Akito-sa—_"Hey!" Tohru covered her mouth in astonishment as the startled bird flew out the open window across the room. "What happened to your forehead?"


	7. Chapter 7

Hello. I would just like to thank everyone who reviewed, and ask a simple question: If certain people (who will remain unnamed) like my story enough to apply Alerts and put it on their Favorites list, WHY WON'T YOU REVIEW? (Don't deny it, you know who you are. And by the way, Kagura says 'Hi.') Anyway, enough of that. This chapter kind of sucks in my personal opinion, and it's short, I know, but I've been working hard and training myself in the ways of writing longer chapters, so the next one should be a pretty fair amount. As always, enjoy, and read, and review, not necessarily in that order.

And by the way, in response to one particular review: I checked. Cats TOTALLY have eyebrows.

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba.

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The little boy jumped at the sound of Tohru's unexpected voice, and, curling himself into a ball, tried to burrow as far as he could into the girl's lap and hide. 

The girl looked puzzled. "My forehead? What do you—oh this!" she said, pointing at the symbol carved into her forehead. She chuckled softly. "It's nothing, really. Don't worry about it." She gestured them over to the table. "Come. Sit down."

Kazuma nudged the two teenagers into the room and took his seat at the head of the table. Kyo took Tohru's hand and led her to the side opposite the girl, and the two sat down as well. The girl noticed the puzzled look on Tohru's face and smiled. "I'm sorry, you must be really confused." She held out her hand. "My name is Shana Sohma."

Tohru quickly pulled her hand out from under the table where it had been resting on her lap and shook Shana's hand. "I'm Tohru Honda. It's very nice to meet you, Shana-san."

Shana nodded. "Yes, I've heard a lot about you, Tohru-kun. Kazuma-san tells me you've been living at Shigure's house, with Yuki-kun and Kyo?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm very blessed; they've been so nice to me."

"I'm sure they have," Shana gave Kyo a knowing look.

Kyo's paranoia senses went to full alert. "Hey! What exactly is that supposed to mean, huh?"

Shana feigned shock. "What, me? I didn't say anything."

"Yes you did. You just said—"

"Why, are you protecting something?"

Kyo's face turned as red as the sweatshirt he was wearing. "What! No, I—shut up." He crossed his arms and turned his head away from the two girls to glare at the wall.

Shana raised her eyebrows. "Right."

As the two girls resumed their talk, Kyo glanced towards his father. The martial arts instructor tilted his head in the general direction of the back door, then rose from his seat. Silently, Kyo followed in suit. When the two were in the backyard, away from the voices, so as not to be overheard, Kazuma finally spoke.

"I didn't tell her I called you. She knew I would. She also knew you would bring Tohru. She had made the tea before I even picked up the phone." He looked at his son. "You know why she came back."

Kyo barely nodded. "Yeah. But I didn't ever think it was, you know…_possible_."

Kazuma smiled. "You underestimated her, Kyo."

"Yeah, I guess I did. But what if she didn't come back for _that_ reason. What if she's here for something else?"

Kazuma gestured towards the still-visible dinning room. "That little boy?"

Kyo nodded.

"He's not from Japan."

"What?"

Kazuma looked Kyo right in the eye. Quietly, he repeated himself, singling out and emphasizing each word. "He's…not…from…Japan."

Kyo was in shock. "But, that means…she wouldn't bring a five-year-old all the way over here unless…"

Kazuma nodded. "Exactly."

The two stood there in silence, Kyo looking down at the ground. Kazuma continued to watch Kyo intently. After a moment, Kyo raised his head. "So, what do we do?"

Kazuma took a deep breath and walked back towards the house. "We call Hatori."


	8. Chapter 8

Hello, everyone! First off, I would like to apologize for waiting so long to post Chapter 7. What happened is, I thought I had posted it five days prior, so when I went to post this chapter I saw I hadn't and was like, "Oh, crap." So I immediately flew into a swift course of action, that action being to kick myself accordingly and go post the seventh chapter. Sorry! And I would like to apologize: in my frenzy, I forgot that when being introduced, people in Japan don't shake hands! That's a western custom. And I would like to thank blazergirl1720 for pointing that out. -hugs blazegirl1720, ignoring her clamoring attempts to obtain freedom- Heehee. Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers, and those of you who read, but don't review--I love you all, as well, but I wish you'd review and give me feedback. No matter, ONWARD!

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba.

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Kyo strode back into the house and through the dinning room, heading towards the kitchen. The girls were still talking. Kazuma was on the phone with Hatori. The brown-haired squirt was nowhere to be seen. No one would interrupt him. Now was the time to act.

He opened the refrigerator and began to rummage through it's contents. Fruit, vegetables; mostly stuff that didn't require cooking of any sort. As he pushed past the half-filled cartons of take-out he became more and more discouraged until—"Hey!" Carefully, he pulled out his prize. He got a fork out of the drawer and sat down at the kitchen table. He was about to dig in when a sudden feeling of extreme danger overwhelmed him. A shadow fell on him, completely consuming the expanse of table around his abdomen. Kyo didn't dare look up. His pulse quickened; every cell in his body was screaming at him to ditch the food and run, but he couldn't move. There was no longer any place to go.

Slowly, exercising caution he didn't know he had ever possessed, he raised his gaze to look upon his assailant.

Shana stood before him, larger than life, her hands on her hips and a glare on her face. She spoke in a dark, threatening manner. "What…do you think…you are doing?"

Kyo didn't say a word, but only continued to stare up at her. A thin line of sweat formed on his forehead. He knew what would come next.

Shana's glare deepened. She jabbed an index finger at the plate in front of him. "You can't eat that piece of cake. It's mine."

Tohru was standing in the doorway of the kitchen when Kazuma approached. A quizzical look was posted on the face of the martial arts teacher. "What happened, Tohru?"

Tohru shook her head. "I—I don't know. We were talking and suddenly Shana-san got up and walked in here."

Kazuma nodded, then turned around and went into the dinning room. Tohru followed him. She frowned slightly as the instructor began moving the teacups and their saucers off the dinning table to a safer and more remote location. When he was finished, he left the dinning room and walked down the hall, past the kitchen, and turned into the laundry room. Tohru was at his heels.

"Ka—Kazuma-san, do you know—what are they—what's going on?"

Kazuma chuckled. "All you need to know is that you don't want to be in there for it." A sudden outburst of voices made Tohru jump.

"It _is_ mine! It is! I even wrote my name on the saran wrap!" Shana shouted.

"Yeah, well, there wasn't any saran wrap _on_ there when I pulled it out!"

"It doesn't matter! I bought it!"

"But your name wasn't on it!"

"Well, I don't see your name anywhere on there either, butch!"

"What! What did you call me!"

"You heard me!"

A loud crashing noise filtered in through the hum of appliances. "All right, that's it! Let's go, you little girl!"

"EH?" Tohru cried. "Kazuma-san, are they going to fight?"

Kazuma bent over and began pulling bunches of wet clothes out of the washing machine and putting them into the dryer. "Sounds like it."

Tohru whirled around and was down the hall in a heartbeat, leaving Kazuma and his unfinished laundry in the dust. Reaching the kitchen, she looked around. "Wait a minute, where did they go?"

She heard more violent-type noises, this time, coming from the dinning room. She turned and went in. Her jaw dropped at what she saw.

Shana and Kyo were standing on the dinning room table at opposite ends, both ready in their martial arts fighting stances. Kyo's glaring gaze was focused on his enemy, his mouth a grim slash of determination.

Tohru gasped. "What are you doing?" she cried.

"What?" Startled, Kyo looked down at Tohru. He didn't notice that Shana chose that precise time to shift her center of gravity. Jabbing her right fist forward, she struck a blow, boxing the momentarily bewildered Cat of the Zodiac legend right in the ear. Kyo broke out of whatever it was he had previously been in.

"What the hell!" He glared at the girl who had hit him, but not for long. Shana, not wasting any time at all, was bringing up her left leg to knock the wind out of him with a side kick.

"Dammit, Shana! You know better than that! In formal martial arts," he yelled, dodging the attack and launching one of his own, "you aren't supposed to start until the other person's ready!"

He hit her hard in the stomach, pushing her backwards a step or two. She coughed slightly, but quickly recovered herself and prepared to kick him again. Bringing up his own leg, Kyo and Shana both swung out with fierce force, each one fully prepared to knock the other into the wall behind them, no mercy. Tohru instinctively drew herself back towards the hall, away from the fight, squeezing her eyes shut. She didn't want to see this. She waited, listening intently for the crashing of people being thrown into various furniture pieces. She had seen Kyo fight with Yuki, Kagura, and Hatsuharu and knew from those previous experiences what noises to expect. She waited, ready to flinch. Nothing. She opened her eyes.

Kazuma was standing with his back facing Tohru, holding Shana's leg in one hand and Kyo's in the other. It appeared he had stopped both of them in mid-kick. Everyone was silent. Kazuma looked intently at each teenager in turn before he spoke: "I believe it is Shigure-san's house that is notorious for being constantly in repair, not mine."

Kyo lost his balance and fell onto his side, his leg still being held in the air by the martial arts instructor. "But—but Shishou!"

Kazuma shook his head and let go of both their legs. Then he smiled. "I'm not sure whether or not I should be happy at how quickly you've fallen back into your old routine." He chuckled. "If you have to spar, at least do it outside, please," he said as he turned quietly and left the room.

Kyo untangled himself and sat on the edge of the table, looking down at the floor. After a prolonged silence, he finally spoke. "We should probably go."

Shana nodded. Slowly, Kyo got to his feet while Shana and Tohru said their good-byes. He studied them briefly. Shana was completely calm, smiling and talking as if nothing had happened—the complete opposite of Tohru's behavior. Shocked and slightly nervous, the housekeeper was stammering and shaking a bit. Kyo sighed and looked away. He felt more than a little detached from the situation; he could see that they were speaking, but he barely heard a word. He barely heard anything. Glancing around the room, his gaze caught sight of something unfamiliar to him standing in the doorway to the hall. The little brown-haired boy was back. He was completely silent; if Kyo had not seen him, he never would have known the boy was there. Kyo instinctively stepped back. The boy was starring at him. He caught Kyo's eye and held his gaze, unblinking, and the two stood like that for what seemed like an eternity until—

"Kyo-kun," Tohru's voice interrupted the two boys unspoken exchange of dialogue. "Kyo-kun, are you all right?"

He looked at her in a rather drowsy manner. "Hunh?"

"Kyo-kun, are sick?" Gently, she placed her hand on his forehead and concentrated for a moment, trying to determine if it was too hot. He blushed and pushed her arm away, turning before anyone could see the red that had suddenly bloomed all over his face.

"It's fine, I'm fine," he said grumpily, heading towards the door. The boy had disappeared. "C'mon, we should go."

"Ah, okay," she stammered, following him out. Shana stood slightly inside the front door as Tohru caught up with Kyo. He stopped and waited for her, still looking at the ground. She turned to Shana. "Thank you very much, Shana-san, it was fun talking to you."

Shana smiled. "Yes it was. Perhaps we could do it again sometime." Tohru nodded in agreement. "Oh, and Kyo?" He looked at her. "You seem to have forgotten something." She held out the piece of cake.

He looked at the cake, surprised. "Thanks," he said simply, and took it from her hands. He turned and started slowly down the sidewalk as Shana closed the door.

Tohru caught up and walked beside him. "Kyo-kun, I thought you didn't like sweets."

He shook his head. "Not sweets, just chocolate, that girlie, sugary crap. Spice cake's my favorite," he said, gesturing to the cake in his hand as they crossed the street and headed home.


	9. Chapter 9

Hello. This is Chapter Nine, (as I'm sure you ALL realize). Thank you to all my reivewers, especially those of you who review on a consistant basis, or have promised to do so in the future. This is an important time for this story, because summer vacation is almost here, and summer vacation means I'm either going to get tons of writing done or none at all, so, try not to be angry with me. Also, I seriously had the worst time writing this chapter. I don't know whether you guys will like it or not, so I'm just telling you, it might not come out so great.Anyway...you know what? I totally forgot what exactly it was that I was going to type, so just read the story. Read it, love it, adore it, cherish it, and REVIEW TO IT. Ok?

Disclaimer: Don't own any Furuba.

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS FILLED WITH SHAMELESS, ROMANTIC FLUFF. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO TEND TO COUGH AND GAG IN THE PRESENCE OF CHEESY LOVE SCENES, READING IS NOT RECOMMENED.**

* * *

"Hey, I thought this was my hiding spot." Kyo cocked his head in surprise and frowned slightly, trying to determine the dilemma that had brought Tohru to the seclusion of the roof at so late an hour. It was nearing midnight; she was normally sleeping peacefully long before now. 

She turned to look at him, her tiredness putting her in a rather trance-like state. "Hm? Oh, it's nothing…" she said absently, starring out over the expanse of green in front of her. Kyo decided not to push for anymore information—for now, anyway, and took a seat beside her. It was a beautiful night. The moon was full and bright, lighting up the tree-tops surrounding the house with a kind of ghostly glow. A soft but chilling breeze brushed past the silent pair, blowing Kyo's hair out of his face and making Tohru shiver slightly.

Kyo looked at her. "Tohru, are you cold?"

She shook her head slowly, still staring off into the distance. Kyo continued to stare. Though she was tired, she was deep in thought. It wasn't that he wanted to offend her or anything, but her philosophical mood, coupled with her sleep deprivation and their current location could turn out to be somewhat…dangerous. "Wait here, I'll get you a blanket."

Kyo rose from his place and was about halfway to the ladder when he stopped short. Tohru's usual protests against him getting anything for her and insistences that she was fine were missing. Slowly, apprehensive that he might find she had fallen off the edge of the roof in her dazed state, he turned back. She hadn't moved an inch. She simply sat there, completely detached from everything around her; soundless, motionless. He opened his mouth to question whether or not she had even heard him, but decided against it. After a thoughtful pause on his part, Kyo closed the distance between the ladder and himself, his pace quickened, and climbed down. He returned moments later with the first blanket he had come across—his own. Returning to his former seated position at Tohru's side, he wrapped the blanket around her and gently tucked her in.

Tohru's psyche returned to reality. "Eh? Oh, Kyo-kun, you didn't have to—"

"It's fine."

"Oh, ah, okay. Do you…?" She left the question hanging in the air, but gestured to the blanket. Kyo smiled a little and shook his head. Tohru pulled the blanket more tightly around herself and dropped her gaze to stare at her lap. After a brief moment, she spoke.

"Kyo-kun, I know it's not my place to ask, but I was wondering when I met Shana-san earlier today…what happened to her forehead?

Kyo frowned thoughtfully, trying to concentrate. "Oh, you mean the mark? It's a long story. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"But…but Kyo-kun, it wasn't—it—it was a scar. It must have hurt her very much to get it. What happened?"

Kyo sighed, lying down on the roof and stretching out. He could tell curiosity was getting the best of her. "Well, it's kind of complicated."

Tohru looked down at him, waiting patiently.

"She got it from Akito."

Tohru instinctively raised her hand and felt her forehead. "You mean, Akito-san did that to her?" Her eyes weld up with tears. "But…but why?"

Kyo sat up, startled. "Tohru, why are you crying?"

Tohru continued to touch her forehead, as if subconsciously trying to make absolute sure something wasn't there. "It hurts, Kyo-kun."

He lifted her face gently, inspecting for damage. "Akito didn't do anything to you, did he?" he asked, an under-touch of worry in his voice.

"What? No!" she cried, shaking her head vigorously. "He didn't—nothing happened. I'm fine."

He frowned skeptically, still searching her face for any hidden scraps or bruises she might have acquired. "Then…why did you say it hurt?"

Tohru lowered her gaze back to her lap and placed a hand gently over her heart. She closed her eyes. "It hurts here," she said solemnly.

Kyo was quiet. She seemed so vulnerable right now—like a child in need of protection, and he was surprised as an overwhelming urge to hold her grew deep inside him.

Tohru looked up at him, trapping his gaze with her soft brown eyes. "You'd want…to be near the person you love, wouldn't you?

Kyo stammered and blushed a deep crimson, though it wasn't visible in the dark. "Y-you asked me that before."

She turned away, nodding.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't fall in love with some guy?"

"No!" she said nervously. "It's…it's just…there's so much pain…in your family. So many wishes…that probably won't come true." The line of tears that had balanced on her eyelashes finally broke, and tiny streams slid down her face unchecked, leaving salty trails in their wake. "Is there nothing I can do—no way I can help?"

Kyo wiped her cheeks dry with his sleeve, marveling. The way she cried so freely for others—it was unreal. "It's not your fault, Tohru," he told her quietly. "You help us a lot. More than you realize."

"Thank you, but Momiji-kun…and Kureno-san. All of you. I want—you all are so kind to me, even after all you've been through. So much heartache…I wish I could do something." She sat in silence, pondering intently. After several minutes, she raised her eyes to look at Kyo. "Kyo-kun…if I could find a way to break the curse…do you think that would help?"

Kyo smiled at her, his countenance a mixture of sadness and love. "It might, but I don't know if there is a way. …No, that's not true." He sighed, thinking, then chose his words carefully. "I'm going to have to explain. Get comfortable—this'll take a while."


	10. Chapter 10

Hello, everyone, 'tis me, Ana-chan. Sorry I took so long to update. Thank you to all the people who are reviewing consistantly, or just once, or whatever, along with all of you that have me on your favorites lists and alert lists. -wipes tear from eye dramatically- It makes me so happy, like I want to thank the Academy. As always, read and enjoy, and when you're done with all that, review, if you please. Oh, and I'm taking suggestions for the little boy's name (the one that was at Kazuma-sensei's house with Shana), so if you've got a name, could you send it to me in a review, along with the meaning, if possible? Thanks a bunch (I know most of you won't, but whatever.)

Disclaimer: Don't own Furuba. -sob-

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Tohru opened her eyes a crack and instantly screwed them up against the bright light. She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position, letting the blanket slide off her shoulder into a heap in her lap, blinked a few times, and surveyed her surroundings blearily. Two vivid strips of color sat one on top of the other, the upper blue and the lower green, their indistinct borders blending together. As the scenery shifted into focus, Tohru's eyes widened. Startled, she whipped her head around. Kyo lay perpendicular to her position not a few feet away, sleeping peacefully. She gasped.

She had fallen asleep right in the middle of his explanation! Not only that, but she had been using the poor boy's stomach for a pillow. A sick feeling clamped itself around her digestive track, causing her to cringe. How terrible.

She covered her mouth with her hands and leaned forward, mentally back-tracking their conversation. He had started to explain how Shana-san had received that scar. Tohru ran her fingers down her forehead absent-mindedly.

_Akito-san_. Apparently, Shana-san was Akito-san's little sister, and he had always allowed her to attend the Zodiac banquet, though his reasons for this were unknown. It was at one of these such celebrations that she had received the mark. It seemed simple enough. But _why_ Akito would do something like that eluded Tohru altogether.

As her mind wandered down the many tangents connected to the subject, a completely separate realization struck her. "Oh my God, SCHOOL!" she cried, scrambling frantically to her feet, accidentally waking Kyo up in the process.

Kyo sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, then looked at her like she was crazy. "Tohru, it's Sunday."

Tohru froze in mid-stride and turned to look at him. "Really?"

He nodded, then yawned momentously, stretching out his arms high over his head with slight crack. "What time is it?"

"Uhhh…I'm not sure. I'll go check." She gave him a bright smile and started down the ladder.

Tohru got off the ladder carefully and headed down the hallway, looking left and right, trying to determine the location of the closest clock. An expanse of royal blue suddenly filled her vision. She jumped. "Oh, Yuki-kun. It's you."

He looked down at her and smiled warmly. "Good morning, Honda-kun," he said with his usual air of princliness. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, it's fine," she said, smiling happily. "I was just looking for a clock. Kyo-kun wanted to know what time it was."

Yuki's expression darkened for a millisecond at the mention of his nemesis, but was quickly replaced by polite calm. "It's about six-thirty."

"All right, fine." Yuki and Tohru both looked up to see Kyo walking down the hall towards them, scratching the back of his neck.

Yuki took on the tone he saved especially for chastising Kyo. "You stupid Cat. If you wanted to know what time it was, why didn't you find out for yourself, instead of sending Honda-kun to do it for you?"

Kyo narrowed his eyes as a vein began to pulse gently on his forehead. "I didn't tell her to go find out, you damn Rat, I just asked her if she knew."

Tohru nodded. "It's all right, Yuki-kun. He didn't send me to do it, I offered."

Shigure appeared inches behind Kyo out of seemingly nowhere. "Still, Kyo-kun," he taunted playfully, "that's no way to treat our beautiful flower. You should have stopped her. I mean, after all the things she's done for us—cooking and cleaning—the least you could have done—" He halted abruptly and instinctively backed up a few steps as Kyo slowly advanced, eyeing the author threateningly.

Tohru turned away from the two moments before Kyo jumped on Shigure and addressed Yuki. "I don't remember seeing you yesterday, Yuki-kun. Did you go somewhere?"

"Yes," he said pleasantly, putting his hand on her arm and guiding her to the stairs. They descended. "Something came up at school, and the teachers called an emergency student council meeting. Apparently, someone broke in Friday night and stole several confidential student files." He helped her take a seat at the dinning room table. "Can I get you anything to drink, Honda-kun?"

Tohru shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm fine."

Yuki smiled, nodding slightly, and seated himself. He clasped his hands on the table. "The student council was at school for most of the day. Even with all the teachers working, there was still a lot left to get done. You weren't worried, I hope?"

Again, she shook her head.

"Good." He stopped there for a very lengthy amount of time, then looked Tohru straight in the eye and continued quietly. "All of the Sohma records—Haru's, Momiji's, Kyo's and mine—were taken, along with Hanajima-san's, Uotani-san's, and…yours."

* * *

Arisa looked at Tohru in utter disbelief. "Oh, my God, is that _seriously_ how he broke it to you?" Tohru nodded quietly. Arisa rolled her eyes and ran her hand through her blonde hair as she paced the living room floor of the Hanajima household. "That's just scary. I swear he'll be a diplomat someday." She flounced down onto the couch across from Tohru, leaned her elbows on her knees and held her head in her hands, her fingers running over her scalp as she pulled her hair back from her face. 

Tohru furrowed her brow in concern as she studied her friend. The situation was confusing, not to mention disastrous. Why would anyone want to take their school records? The Sohmas were a prestigious and prosperous family, to be sure—they were bound to have enemies—, but that still didn't explain exactly—

Arisa raised her head to stare at Tohru, otherwise maintaining her position. "But, you know, the way the Prince told you isn't even the part that worries me. He probably just didn't want you freaking out. I can't imagine how Orange Top took the news, though. I bet he blew a hole in the roof." She stopped for a moment to take satisfaction in the thought, her smirk suggesting evil.

Megumi entered the room and took a seat next to Tohru. "What I think is scary," he said quietly, "is the fact that someone even took your records at all." His dark eyes ran over the two girls. "The fact that someone even exists who would want to take your records."

Arisa nodded in agreement. "Exactly."

The room fell silent, then Arisa sighed. "This is the kind of thing…that you don't think would ever happen." She held her hands out in front of her and examined them quietly. Her voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "Or that would happen to someone else."

Saki released the iron and a large, soft curl of Tohru's brown hair slipped from the instrument and bounced onto her shoulder. "Unfortunately, we are all _someone else_ to someone else." Her quiet voice rang with a haunting tone. She looked unsettled.

Tohru and Arisa looked up at her. Arisa raised an eyebrow in slight surprise. "Something wrong?"

Saki looked sadly over Tohru's head and into the distance. "I sense…danger, though not immediate, and for who, the Sohmas…or us, I do not know. Such a foreshadowing…" she dropped her gaze, "…I've never felt before."


End file.
